Short Story: The Squire

“Come on, now! Don’t tell me that’s all you got!”

“N-No! I-I can still go on!” Though his words displayed will to continue, Will didn’t seem to have the strength to keep holding his wooden sword. Still, he pointed the tip toward Vice Commander Neil and calmed his breathing.

The situation didn’t allow for any more tactless tricks. His only hope lied with giving his all into one final blow.

“YAAAHHHH!” After mustering fighting spirit great enough to heat his blood, he leaped to close the distance between him and Neil. It seemed as though the tip of his sword would reach the man’s chest, but Neil avoided it right before the impact and went on to land a strong hit into Will’s neck.

“GHAH!” Naturally, it made Will drop to the ground. He no longer had the energy to even stand.

“That last lunge was quite good. Anyway, that’s it for today.”

“Th-Thank you… very… much!” Will thanked him, still lying on the ground and facing up. Neil smirked in response and went on to leave the training grounds.

The soft flow of the wind touched his sweaty skin and robbed it of heat. The chill was pleasant, but there was a chance that he could get sick. However, he was far too tired to even move, let alone get up.

“Come forth, Light! Breath of Vigor: [Refresh].”

Suddenly, Will heard someone chant a spell, after which his body was showered by light. The shine made the burdening weight on his body fade away, almost as if it was never there. He then stood up, looked around, and saw a boy lightly raising his hand toward him while leaning on the fence on the edge of the training grounds.

“Working hard, eh, Will?”

“Sir… No, Duke…”

“Having you call me that just doesn’t feel right.”

The white coat-wearing boy before him was the hero who had recently become the ruler of a small country. Not only that, but he was also a Silver adventurer. Due to him being the fiance of the princess of this country, Belfast, Will had met him in the castle many times before.

“You sure are strong now.”

“No, I still have a long way to go… In fact, I spend most of my recent time thinking only about how to become stronger…” Will’s words made the coated young man fold his arms and think about something before making a comment.

“What about a special move, then?”

“A-A special move?”

“Take a skill you’re good at and improve it to the point that you’re unmatched when using it. The order is diverse when it comes to that, right? Some swing their swords real fast, some are good at defense, and others are all about maneuverability, stuff like that. You should find something that feels right for you.”

Indeed, the stronger members of the order all had their specialties. It was a question whether they could be called ‘special moves,’ but Will understood what the boy meant.

After he left, Will pondered for a bit before deciding to retry the last lunge he attempted to land on Vice Commander Neil. Though it failed, he felt like it could’ve been his very own special move if he gave his all into it. He pictured himself jumping to his opponent faster than anyone and thrusting his sword just as swiftly.

Whether this encounter and the practice routine it created was what caused Belfast to ultimately gain the proud and mighty knight who would come to be known as ‘Will the Flash’ was a subject of rumor.